2015 Essay Questions - Biology Page 4
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4Pointers for your papers
(based upon papers from past years)
By proof-reading, we mean that you have:
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examined your papers closely…complete sentences?
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read them thoroughly…are these ideas or just “word hash?”
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revised them more than once (never submit a first draft!)
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used a spelling checker
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used a Collegiate Dictionary or a Biology book to check the spelling of words not in
the computer's dictionary
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examined each sentence for number agreement (i.e., to be sure that, if you have a
plural subject, the verb is also in a plural form: One goose is; three geese are)
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looked up each apostrophe (') and determined that all cases are used ONLY for
possessives (except for the possessive: its which has no apostrophe!). The apostrophe
is used for contractions (including it's for it is) but formal writing is no place for
contractions; write out all contractions! In formal writing, its never has an apostrophe.
While there may be some moss on San Salvador, it is limited to a few patches in marshy zones
inland which you are very unlikely to see. At the shore you are observing algae or other
organisms, not moss! There are no marine mosses…no marine bryophytes!
If you have one individual thallus or one species, it is an alga. If you have two, then you have
algae. There is no such word as algaes.
Organisms do not attract rain or sunlight. One may use water or light more efficiently than
another. A plant might reorient its leaves to intercept more light; it might reshape its leaves to
redirect water to its roots. But an organism can only collect the rain or light that falls upon it;
there is no "magnetism" with respect to falling water or incident light.
What you find in a location is determined in part by how carefully you look. Be careful not to
say that one place where you searched thoroughly by turning rocks and spending hours has more
species than another place where you merely swam by.
Desiccation...spell it correctly.
Turbidity and turbulence are different qualities of water. Be careful to use the correct one!
Use the word effect when you mean "a result" as in "the effect of this treatment was" and never
use the word effected in your papers (there are better ways to say what you mean).
Do not use these words at all: affect, affected or affecting. Again, there are better words to use. If
you mean that a factor influenced something, well, did it increase or decrease it? Increase or
decrease, exacerbate or ameliorate, advanced or delayed, and accelerate or decelerate are far
better word choices than affected because they tell the direction of the influence!
Throughout is a single compound word. It is NOT two words.
Then is the opposite of now, than compares two things (this is greater than that).
Be sure that each of your papers demonstrates
• your learning about the subject both from reading in books or journals
• your personal experiences on San Salvador
• your previous course experience
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